There's a legitimate news hook here, people. Who will be the enterprising Godbeat soul (if there's anyone left) who will step up, interview these three and write a Pulitzer Prize-winning feature story on why no one wants to cover the religion beat anymore? (To anyone out there screaming that I'm overgeneralizing, shhhhhhh. We'll add context to the piece later, but first we need to inspire someone to take the assignment. The more dramatic, the better.)

In the meantime, kind GetReligion readers, please feel free to leave a comment. If you want, you can reflect on how much you'll miss Townsend's excellent journalism with the Post-Dispatch. Or if you prefer, you can speculate on who will be next to leave the Godbeat. No wagering, please.

Update: Sarah just sent the following tweet to RNS Editor in Chief Kevin Eckstrom, so it appears she's considering the story idea!